The Significance of 8888: MH17+MH370+QZ8501

According to Yahoo, the missing plane QZ8501 may be found at the bottom of the Java Sea. It is not 100% confirmed though. We sincerely hope there are some survivors who may have swum to a nearby island.

“I am absolutely devastated," said AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes. "This is a very difficult moment for all of us at AirAsia as we await further developments of the search and rescue operations but our first priority now is the wellbeing of the family members of those onboard QZ8501."

The Significance of 8888

This is a continuation of our earlier analysis on the probability of 3 random numbers (in the range 1-9999) adding up to 8888. (See http://mathtuition88.blogspot.sg/2014/12/math-of-qz8501-sum-of-3-numbers-that.html)

The probability of 3 random numbers adding up to 8888 by chance is merely 0.0039497%, or around 1 in 25,000. This is pretty low, considering it is easier to win the top lottery prize of 4D (around 1 in 10,000 chance).

 Other events linked to "8888" or "8" in general

• The "8888 Uprising"

The 8888 Uprising is a series of riots in Myanmar, that occured on 8 August 1988. During this uprising, Aung San Suu Kyi emerged as a national hero.

• Sichuan earthquake (See http://wenda.tianya.cn/question/234aa50da04ba8d4)

The Sichuan earthquake occurred in 2008 May 12 (12/5). 1+2+5=8

It is also known as the Wenchuan earthquake, named after Wenchuan County.

• Blizzard (Snowstorm) in China (See http://baike.baidu.com/view/338422.htm)

In January 25, 2008, a massive snowstorm affected China in cities like Wuhan, Changsha, Nanjing, and many others. The costs to the economy amounted to more than 100 billion yuan. (See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Chinese_winter_storms)

1+2+5=8

• Tibetan Riots (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Lhasa_violence)

In March 14, 2008, there was a serious riot in Tibet, where Tibetans targeted Han Chinese, and their businesses, including setting fire and looting.

3+1+4=8

More details (in Chinese) can be found at this website: http://www.renminbao.com/rmb/articles/2008/6/1/47781p.html

Readers should note that it is easy to add up to 8, and hence the news should be taken with a pinch of salt. But as we calculated earlier, adding up to 8888 is not a common event.